This entry follows the pool name Lanius lahtora. The Indian form studied shows individual variation in grey back color and in head and wing patterns; some references treat it as a subspecies of Lanius excubitor.
Adults observed in northwestern India ranged from pale whitish grey to dark smoky grey above. Many showed white scapulars, and the black wings bear a conspicuous white patch in flight.
Indian accounts place it in open dry country, semi-desert and dry cultivation. It watches from bushes or small trees and swoops to the ground for insects and small animals.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.